Improving Community Connections – August 2016

Through our research on wellbeing Australians have told us that they believe it is important for them to feel “connected” with their local community. But how connected do they really feel and what would they change within their communities to improve their sense of personal wellbeing?

Through our research on wellbeing Australians have told us that they believe it is important for them to feel “connected” with their local community. But how connected do they really feel and what would they change within their communities to improve their sense of personal wellbeing if they could? In this special report, NAB addresses these two important questions.

Overall, Australians believe they are only “moderately” connected to their local communities. But, it is very clear that some people in society feel much more connected than others. While there is little difference between the sense of community connection between men & women, this masks notable differences by age, education, work, & relationship status.

Just as our personal wellbeing appears to increase with age so too does our feeling of community connection. Not only do widows have the highest level of personal wellbeing but they are also the most connected. Part of this may reflect widows being typically older but there is also evidence to suggest that older women are better able to re-establish relationships once their partner dies than men. Widows are joined by the over 50s (particularly women), married couples, Australians with a higher education & professional workers.

Similarly, there appears to be a relationship between low levels of personal wellbeing and weak community connections, with young women (18 to 29) and labourers the least connected groups.

CoreLogic reported further slippage in dwelling values over the first month of 2018, with national dwelling values recording their second consecutive month on month decline. After dwelling values held firm in October and November, they slipped by a third of a percent in both December and January to be down 0.7% from their peak.